Low FODMAP Veggie Stir-Fry (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

While on a low-FODMAP diet, the selection of vegetables you have to choose from is very limited. And for someone who loves veggies, having to temper my intake and be selective is, at times, heart-wrenching. I think about all of the opportunities for phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals I'm missing out on, the textures and flavors that I love, and mainly just not having to think so hard when faced with the question: What's for breakfast/lunch/dinner?
One way I enjoy getting a plethora of veggies in at once is in a big saute or stir-fry -- throwing all of the veggies in a pan with spices, allowing the ingredients flavors to become richer and sweeter, textures softer, and temperature warm and comforting.

Luckily, I'm not a quitter. If faced with a challenge, I rise to it, rather than cower away. So I needed to come up with a way to eat as many vegetables as I could in a stir-fry without compromising my gut-healing efforts.

Enter this low-FODMAP Vegetable Stir-Fry. No garlic, no onions, no oil needed. Plus, all of the veggies are low-FODMAP.

Let's talk about the veggies in here and all the good nutrients they offer:

Bok Choy: High in cancer-fighting antioxidants, in the form of Vitamin C and Vitamin A. Also a great source of calcium and magnesium, keeping bones strong and hormone levels normalized.

Bell Peppers: Excellent source of Vitamin C (1 cup has 157% of the daily recommended amount!) -- but make sure your peppers are ripe. Vitamin C levels are shown to increase as bell peppers ripen. You can tell a bell pepper is ripe when it's no longer green, so red, yellow, and orange peppers are all good choices.

Watercress: Great source of nitrate, which helps to lower blood pressure and reduce the amount of oxygen needed during exercise.

Spinach: High in iron, which is needed to maintain normal energy levels and helps to metabolize proteins.

Turmeric Root: An anti-inflammatory superfood!

Ginger Root: Helps ease digestion.

If you feel like you're missing things after this list of benefits, I'm not sure you'll ever be satisfied! Let it be known that this stir-fry, while low FODMAP, is still chock-full of amazing nutrients.

Low FODMAP Veggie Stir-Fry (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

Serves: Makes about 4 side-dish size servings.

Ingredients

2 heads baby bok choy

1 large bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow)

1 cup watercress

2 cups baby spinach

1 TBSP diced turmeric root

1 TBSP diced ginger root

1 tsp avocado oil or ghee

juice of half a lemon

1/2 tsp dried turmeric powder

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp dried ginger powder

Instructions

Chop the bok choy horizontally into strips, so the stalks are about 1-inch thick. You can leave the leaves whole without chopping, as those will wilt down.

Cut the bell pepper into thin strips.

In a large skillet or saute pan, heat avocado oil or ghee on medium heat. Add in all the ingredients except for spinach and watercress and mix thoroughly, cooking for about 7 minutes until bell peppers are cooked through and soft in texture. Add in spinach and watercress until wilted.

Remove from heat and serve hot, or keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.